Finding your gamer

[WestCoastGolf]

How do you go about finding your gamer golf ball? Play multiple rounds with different ones, then choose based off of feel? Choose based off the one that scored the best? Do you look for the farthest ball, or the one that offers the best control?

 

Personally I like to find which few feel the best for me with my putter first. Then I will judge feel with my wedges and irons. With wedges and irons I will start delve into how the ball responds from shot to shot to really start to narrow down my top contenders.

 

I have a bit of a conundrum right now. I have it narrowed down to two golf balls that I love every aspect of for my game. The biggest differences for me is 10 yards distance on tee shots (which is really a non factor I feel), and one feels firmer when putting (more of a click). I just can’t bring myself to choose one over the other 😂😂

[Trippels]

Launch monitor to get some numbers, outdoors to get a feel for aerodynamics.

Whatever has good speed and spin of the driver, without giving up control (spin) on half shots, and flies well in the wind.

 

I can't comprehend why anyone would base their ball selection of the putter, the place where the ball  matters the least. 10 extra yards off the tee is massive, why give that up just because it doesn't "feel" right of the putter face? An issue that will go away within a few weeks when it becomes familiar. Same with chipping and pitching, but at least there spin matters. But balls that most think are "clicky" often have the best spin.

 

Bridgestone tour b x is the best I've found for me. Quick off the driver with good spin. Medium iron spin. Good short game spin. Driver and irons in agreement. Putter had no say in the matter. Long  game is king.

[grochol17]

2 hours ago, WestCoastGolf said:

The biggest differences for me is 10 yards distance on tee shots (which is really a non factor I feel), and one feels firmer when putting (more of a click). I just can’t bring myself to choose one over the other 😂😂

 

If you're really hitting one 10 yds further than the other, the question to ask yourself is this: is hitting (approximately) one club less into every green enough to make up for any shots you might lose on the green because you don't like the feel as much.  

[DavidH88]

Going through the same process but have 4 contenders for 22 season. 21 TP5 and 5x, bxs and some old still in box Nike RZN Tour platinum so this winter and next spring, I’ve decided to go on feel off the putter and wedges, the rest is like if i like it i play it 😊 current ball is the Tour BXS been a mighty great ball.

[hammergolf]

13 hours ago, WestCoastGolf said:

How do you go about finding your gamer golf ball? Play multiple rounds with different ones, then choose based off of feel? Choose based off the one that scored the best? Do you look for the farthest ball, or the one that offers the best control?

 

Personally I like to find which few feel the best for me with my putter first. Then I will judge feel with my wedges and irons. With wedges and irons I will start delve into how the ball responds from shot to shot to really start to narrow down my top contenders.

 

I have a bit of a conundrum right now. I have it narrowed down to two golf balls that I love every aspect of for my game. The biggest differences for me is 10 yards distance on tee shots (which is really a non factor I feel), and one feels firmer when putting (more of a click). I just can’t bring myself to choose one over the other 😂😂

I have always used sleeves of the balls I’m interested in. Start on the putting green, chipping, pitching, 60yd, 80yd, wedges. Then go to the course. Play 9 holes hitting each ball and seeing the results. If I’m still not able to pick one out, I’ll play rounds with each one. Low score wins.

[xkilgorextroutx]

I know what I like when it comes to feel and I try to go with something that fits my swing and my budget since I do tend to lose a few balls per 18. For me, I like to try a couple of different balls during a twilight round, hitting them with driver, 7i, and wedges to see which one performs the best/most consistently for me. Putting matters as well, if something feels like mush off the face it's just not going to work for me.

[PEI_Golfer]

I will just pick up a sleeve or more of something that i want to consider as my main ball and play with it to see how it feels and reacts in the conditions and way I'm striking the ball.  Also has been pretty easy as I've pretty well been playing TM balls for over a decade as my main now since the days of the TP Red/Blacks. 

[Maroon_19]

Dean Snell is a pretty smart guy, even if I moved from his balls to Bridgestone.  His method works for me.

https://www.snellgolf.com/pages/dean-snell-golf-ball-fitting-philosophy

[gioreeko]

First, how does it fly with my driver? I'm a big hitter, so my misses need to stay in play as much as possible. Snell MTB X, Vice Pro plus and left dash ProV1's seem to keep any sidespin to a minimum, and keep the misses in play. Second test, wedge shots from 100-120 yards. I prefer a ball to bite, and spin back a little, rather than some balls that zip off the green. All balls pretty much putt the same, you don't compress a ball when you're putting, and I don't care how clicky or soft a ball sounds when putting. 

[kasting333]

On 11/19/2021 at 9:07 PM, Trippels said:

Launch monitor to get some numbers, outdoors to get a feel for aerodynamics.

Whatever has good speed and spin of the driver, without giving up control (spin) on half shots, and flies well in the wind.

 

I can't comprehend why anyone would base their ball selection of the putter, the place where the ball  matters the least. 10 extra yards off the tee is massive, why give that up just because it doesn't "feel" right of the putter face? An issue that will go away within a few weeks when it becomes familiar. Same with chipping and pitching, but at least there spin matters. But balls that most think are "clicky" often have the best spin.

 

Bridgestone tour b x is the best I've found for me. Quick off the driver with good spin. Medium iron spin. Good short game spin. Driver and irons in agreement. Putter had no say in the matter. Long  game is king.

Distance and spin is much easier to observe and attribute to a ball than feel and how it relates to short shots and putting speed. 

[kasting333]

Following his victory at the 2019 BMW Championship, Justin Thomas explained in an interview why he switches golf balls.

 

“Yeah, I used the Pro V1 Star it’s called for however many months, but I went back to the ball I was playing, the [Pro V1x], at the Travelers,” Thomas explained to PGATOUR.com. “[The Star] is a lot different. It’s a lot softer and it’s a lot more spin.”

 

Explaining why he switched, Thomas said, “I wasn’t putting very well and I felt like the feel of the ball while I was putting was effecting my speed, and I just didn’t know if it was or not. So I just wanted to switch and see if I felt that way. I knew that other ball worked really well, and I’m glad I switched back.”

 

https://essential.golf/justin-thomas-explains-why-he-switches-golf-balls-not-irons/

Edited November 22, 2021 by kasting333

[MattM97]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:01 AM, Maroon_19 said:

Dean Snell is a pretty smart guy, even if I moved from his balls to Bridgestone.  His method works for me.

https://www.snellgolf.com/pages/dean-snell-golf-ball-fitting-philosophy

 

Would definitely follow a process like this. How many stories of Tiger testing a ball and if it doesn't pass the putter test he won't do anything else with it. 

[Abh159]

I've found the ball that works best for me (Bridgestone B X), but I'll still test out 2-3 others throughout the year for fun. By "test" I mean I'll play a round or two with them and see how they do.

 

For my preferences, I start with spin. Does it spin enough around the greens without spinning too much with the driver/irons? From there, I'll evaluate distance. Last is feel. If spin and distance are good then I can get used to whatever the feel is. 

[lefthack]

I still play at least 3 different balls a round. Currently TP5, Pro V1, and Bridgestone E6. Occasionally I will play a Srixon Q Star Tour, but I'm almost out of those.

[scott406]

Trial and Error

 

It took me about 6 to 8 Months of playing different balls to find one for my game

I actually like 3 different balls and depending on the price, I play each one

1. Snell Black

2. Srixon Z-Star

3. BridgeStone RX

 

I played the Callaway, OnCor, ProV1, Vice, TP5, Srixion, Bridgestone and others.

 

I found the Bridgestone on sale and was pleased with them.

Then I did some research on the ball, and them started playing balls with similar characteristics such as compression and layers.

The Bridgestone were a pretty penny so I went looking at DTC and found the Snell

That was my ball

 

It was a process but I feel I can play all 3 balls I like and get the similar results with all 3 of them

 

Make sure you test the ball in the wind.  That was a difference maker in the balls that I tried

I liked the OnCor ball but the wind just ate it up.

The Snell and the Srixon ripped right through the wind

 

 

I am currently testing the Maxfli tour as Snell was having supply problems

Good ball but I like the Snell Black better and will be going back to them once I am out of the Maxfli balls

 

I am interested in the new Bridgestone ball I have been reading about in the other threads

 

Good luck finding your gamer

 

 

 

 

 

[philly2kuk]

I start on the green and work my way back to the tee. I have to be able to control it on and round the green, even if it means sacrificing yards off the tee. I learnt this from the original tp5x where it went miles off the tee for me, I was hitting shorter clubs into the green but I could never chip or putt with it.

 

Once I’m down to a couple I then just try them on the course with the most important factor, as others have mentioned, being to test them in the wind. All this meant I narrowed it down to the tp5, tour soft or pro v1. I can play them all interchangeably allowing for a little less stop with the tour soft.

[Popeye64]

Recently I got away from my normal Pro V1. I was rolling a Callaway Super Soft on the green and discovered I putted exceptionally well with it. Being so soft if feels as it it's staying on the face longer. My made putts went up substantially. 

Where I felt I was losing far too much was off the driver. After a few rounds of being further back on my approach shots I hit two balls off the tee. The Pro V1 was continually longer. Nearly a full club difference into a green. So that puts a bit extra pressure on the iron game. It almost makes me feel as if I have to kill it out of the tee box. Which lead to getting out of sync. 

Long story short.. made up shots on the green were lost elsewhere. 

The Pro V1 while expensive does everything I need it to at a feel I can live with. 

[Londo]

Played misc. urethane balls, bought whatever was the best deal. With the SpyGolfMy ball test, I put together a list of balls that would seem to fit my game and started testing them this summer. Still ongoing but I am about halfway through and really enjoying it. I start will balls that are objectively higher spin on approach shots as I am a lower spin iron player. Other than that I see how it does around the green, off the tee and off the putter face. 

 

My ball HAS to check the first box, has to be predictable off the wedges and with chips, has to be within a couple yards of my current gamer or further, and would prefer if it felt good coming off the putter face (thanks to my insert, not really an issue). I currently play Srixon Z Star XV but I have also enjoyed the Z Star and Maxfli Tour, have maybe 8 or so sleeves of other balls yet to try but it has been a blast.

[NoTalentLefty]

I have been a 2 piece junky for 46 years. Every now and then I’d try a better ball but never got better distance and the stopping power was good. But this year Started testing. Went to E12 contact loved it but the ball was a dirt magnet , maybe the dimple design?,  and since no one in our area had a ball washer and  couldn’t get it cleaned by towel even. So I bought a dozen Titleist Pro V1s and I was wrong about Pro V1s. They are a great ball. They are every bit as long and have more stopping power than any ball I ever played . E12s? Well I may still play them on occasion on less than stellar courses but the go to will be the Titleist.